Peter Dobrin

Culture Writer

Peter Dobrin is a classical music critic and culture writer. Born in New York, raised in Miami, he has an undergraduate degree in performance from the University of Miami, and a master's degree in music criticism from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

He designed Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, and now architect Rafael Viñoly has unveiled his scheme for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The Boston structure will sit near the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, on Dorchester Bay.

From the Boston Globe:

“It will not be, as some have cynically suggested, a static library or a shrine, either to my husband or even to the United States Senate,’’ said the senator’s widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, when she spoke at UMass Boston’s commencement in the spring. “Rather, it will be a dynamic center of learning and engagement that takes advantage of 21st-century technology to provide each visitor with a unique and information-rich, personalized experience that literally will bring history alive.’’

We can't help notice: here's another instance in which Boston shows it knows how to make the most of its waterfront.